Magic Mirror
by cloaked-schemer-vi
Summary: Ienzo takes Kairi on a tour of the castle and they find a rather suspicious mirror.


_**A/N: i love h ow i only ever post a story once every ten years and when i do its either fluffy beyond belief or sad as hell. well we're looking at the later today. enjoy my sad ienris. be warned that its really short and not that descriptive or anything really  
**_

_**kind of inspired by this prompt: otpprompts,tumblr,com/post/107685078583/otpprompts-imagine-your-otp-ot3-or-brotp**_

_**its not really the mirror of erised though.. i havent read harry potter in years so i didnt want to write anything really explicitly using something like the mirror so i just kind of took the concept and put a mirror with the same abilities into ansem's castle**_

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It was a fine day in Radiant Garden; the sun warming the world and the flowers beginning to bloom again now that the fight against Xehanort and the darkness was finally over. The town's residents went about their business, with some helping the Restoration Committee with the tough but rewarding task of rebuilding the world to be what it formerly was – or better.

The castle stood over the town, repairs still being made but otherwise in a much better condition that it had been when Ienzo and his fellow apprentices had first awoken after being restored. Today, he was leading his childhood friend and now something-a-bit-more, Kairi, through the castle, on a tour of what was accessible at the current time. Certain areas were still being restored, and it was their day off from helping out, so they decided not to interfere unless someone asked them something or spoke to them.

"Down here is...ah! This hall leads to the old laboratories, I believe..." Ienzo told Kairi as they walked down a corridor that seemed relatively undamaged compared to the rest of the castle, "I never actually got to do much here; just came with Even to pick up things that we would need. They actually barred off the laboratories shortly after Xehanort arrived...for what reason, I'm not sure, but Master Ansem demanded it. So...I doubt I can actually take you in there but I guess we can look around this hallway a little. Maybe we'll find something interesting..." He continued to talk a little bit more about what he knew about this area of the castle, before he realised that Kairi was calling out to him.

"Ienzo! I'm sorry to interrupt you...honestly, I would've loved if you kept talking, but what's this door?" Kairi asked him, pointing at a rather intricately designed door, with words that neither of them could read along the top. It was still in magnificent condition, as if it hadn't been touched by anyone or anything for decades, with no debris near or around it.

"Oh! No, we can't go in here. Let's keep going," Ienzo said, starting to walk again.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Well...Master Ansem always told me I wasn't to go in there when I was a child," Ienzo stopped and shrugged, "I only assume it's the same now."

Kairi smiled and rolled her eyes, opening the door and walking in.

Ienzo gasped, looking around nervously. He really shouldn't go in there. Ansem told him very clearly; that room was off limits, and he was never supposed to enter it. In fact, why was Kairi able to open it? It was supposed to be locked! Or perhaps he was just told that the door was locked, just to make him believe that it really was...

"Ienzo! Come look at this!"

He could do this! Maybe 'don't ever go through this door, Ienzo, this is the one area of the castle that you should not enter under any circumstances' no longer applied to him now that he was older!

Ienzo stepped through the door. The room was completely empty – grey-walled and dusty, causing Ienzo's sensitive nose to let out a series of small sneezes before joining Kairi.

"Close your eyes," she told him, "this mirror...I think it's magic!"

Ienzo did as she said, shutting his eyes and letting her move him to where she wanted him to stand. He opened his eyes when Kairi told him, and took a step back when he did. In the mirror was a reflection of himself, but instead of just Kairi beside him, two other figures were there. On Ienzo's left side stood a long and lanky man with hair the same shade as his own, glasses on his nose, and a wide smile on his face. On his right was a tall, plump woman with brown hair, who had tears of pride in her turquoise eyes and a grin just as cheerful. His parents.

How were his parents standing there with him and Kairi...?

"It's different for you, isn't it?" Kairi asked him, making him blink and shake his head, his hair swinging across his cheeks, "What do you see?"

"I..." Ienzo cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound like he wasn't on the verge of tears, "I'm...I can see myself and Even, Dilan, and Aeleus. Master Ansem is there too, I...I'm getting congratulated for something..."

It was obviously a lie, and something about Kairi's smile made him feel like she knew it was, but she didn't question him. Ienzo stepped closer to the mirror, looking at the reflection with unyielding concentration. His mother was holding his hand. His father had his hand on his shoulder. Ienzo took the image in, and suddenly felt the strongest pang of loneliness his heart had felt since he was first told that his parents hadn't made it out of the fire.

'_Why couldn't you have made it out...? Why aren't you here now?'_

That was the moment when Ienzo let a tear fall, followed by several more. Kairi stepped up beside him once again.

"You're seeing them aren't you?" She asked quietly, "Your parents? You know you can't lie about them, 'zo."

Ienzo nodded, letting out a near silent sniff. He whispered an apology before he latched onto Kairi, burying his head in her beautiful red tresses and clenched his hands into tight fists. He began to sob and he felt her arms wrap around him, rubbing his back gently as she whispered gently in his ear, offering all the comfort she could. Ienzo wanted to thank you, but his voice wouldn't allow him to utter a single word.

It was several minutes before he was able to pull away, wipe his eyes, and look at his parents again. He offered the mirror copies a smile, despite the fact that he knew that no one was really there, and he and Kairi left the room, promising that they would not enter it again.

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_**A/N: babies**_


End file.
